The Country House in English Renaissance Poetry
explores a unique literary genre that emerged during the seventeenth century, celebrating the ideals of the English manor estate while critiquing the societal shifts that threatened its values. These poems, written by figures such as Ben Jonson, Andrew Marvell, Robert Herrick, and Thomas Carew, praise the virtues of traditional manorial life—hospitality, responsibility, and order—set against the backdrop of expansive and ostentatious estates built by political elites of the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. By juxtaposing the modest yet harmonious homes of families like the Sidneys of Penshurst against the grandiose mansions of newly affluent courtiers, these works reflect a nostalgia for a simpler, more virtuous era, tied to a hierarchical and agrarian ideal.
The book examines the classical and social influences on the genre, tracing its roots to Roman poets like Martial and its connections to the myth of the Golden Age. It also delves into the architectural and societal contexts of the period, demonstrating how poets critiqued modern extravagance and upheld the moral prestige of country living. Through a detailed analysis of seminal works, the study reveals how these poets used the country house as both a symbol of cultural stability and a stage for their critiques of contemporary life, blending aesthetic appreciation with social commentary. The genre, deeply intertwined with notions of labor, productivity, and divine order, serves as a lens through which to view the changing dynamics of seventeenth-century England.
This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1977.